Jet Ski Accident Kills Jacksonville Man
An investigation has been launched into why a Jacksonville man lost his life on a personal watercraft, also known as a jet ski, according to News4Jax.
Edgar Roche, 31, was on the jet ski on Kingsley Lake Sunday, September 5, after 9 p.m.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is in charge of investigating mishaps on the water. A spokesman says it was dark when Roche was riding fast and had passed an anchored boat and the shore. He tried to pass again, but this time he crashed the jet ski into the boat. The owner of the boat was present and tried to help Roche. Roche was pulled to shore and CPR efforts were made but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the crash is continuing.
Personal Watercraft Accidents
Jet skis or personal watercraft accidents are frequently the result of the basic design of the watercraft. Jet skis have no brakes. When they are coasting or when the throttle is cut in order to slow down, they have no turning ability. When you suddenly find yourself in a precarious condition and need to turn quickly, the machine will not let you. It is counter-intuitive and very dangerous.
A side impact at 30 mph is enough to cause traumatic brain injury. Blunt force trauma is the most common injury from a jet ski and often young riders are involved.
In the year 2000 in Florida, jet skis were 19 percent of registered boats, but involved in 45 percent of injuries. Thousands of these cases involve young people who have been traumatically and fatally injured, yet they are settled silently out of court by an industry that puts profits before people. That is one of the reasons you don’t often hear about the dangers of this type of watercraft.
If you or a loved one has been in an accident involving a jet ski, the manufacturer should be held responsible for the defective design of a machine with a large horsepower that can neither break nor turn when it’s needed to avoid a collision. The Florida personal injury attorneys at Farah & Farah will offer a complimentary consultation on your case.
